Tougher graduation rules may leave some kids behind

Hurdles set too high?

But few dispute that Florida must better prepare students in science, math

April 21, 2010|By Leslie Postal, Orlando Sentinel

A presentation last fall for Florida school administrators ended with a zinger: "Florida students are pretty much last in the nation for science."

That dismal assessment by the Florida Department of Education, based on low state and national science test scores, helped underpin a push for new, tougher high-school graduation requirements.

State educators, lawmakers and business leaders argued students needed to take more math and science courses if they ever hoped to find jobs in an increasingly science-based workplace.

Then in January, the business group Florida Council of 100 released a report on the state's "talent gap," showing that within the next five years, Florida would need 100,000 more "science and technology professionals" than it was on track to produce.

Gov. Charlie Crist addressed those concerns Tuesday when he signed a graduation bill, ushering in new requirements to take harder math and science classes and pass new, end-of-course exams to earn high school diplomas.

Advocates say the law puts Florida in the midst of a national push for better education in so-called STEM fields —-science, technology, engineering and math.

The law "will make sure that students who graduate from our high schools have a meaningful diploma, a diploma to someplace, not a diploma to nowhere," said Education Commissioner Eric Smith.

But some educators worry the new requirements will hurt students already struggling to make it to graduation. Students will have to take geometry, algebra 2, biology, and chemistry or physics and pass new exams in some of those subjects.

Some also question how the state can afford the new math-science push and how it will find enough teachers in those subjects when there is already a critical shortage of them.

The "chemistry or physics" requirement will be the biggest change, as typically only about 65 percent of Florida's high school graduates take chemistry and only 23 percent take physics, according to data from the Florida Department of Education.

By comparison, about 90 percent of Florida's graduates take biology and about 93 percent already take geometry. About 82 percent take algebra 2.

In Central Florida, most districts are already pushing their stronger students to take more math and science. But some administrators question if the new rules should apply to all.

"Is algebra 2 required or necessary for everyone? Is chemistry required for everyone and every career?" said Debra Pace, deputy superintendent of Osceola County schools. "I didn't need chemistry."

Haley O'Connor, a ninth grader at Timber Creek High in Orange County, had the same reaction.

"Other courses are just so much more interesting," she said. "Not all careers do you need to know chemistry and physics."

Haley said she would prefer to fill her three-course science requirement with classes she wanted, such as anatomy and physiology, not a sequence set by the state.

It turns out, she'll have that chance because the new rules start with youngsters who enter ninth grade in August and will be phased in over several years.

Paul Cottle, a physics professor at Florida State University, has been pushing state leaders for the past few years to beef up science requirements for Florida's high school students.

"They need to have a comprehensive science education," he said.

Now, too many students interested in STEM careers start college ill-equipped for their classes. "They really struggle to keep up, and a lot of students just drop out of site," Cottle said.

Florida's new law, however, won't mean all students take college-track math and science courses. It allows students to take "equivalent" courses, which could be easier versions. That might help students meet the new requirements, but, critics say, also could undermine their purpose.

When the state made algebra 1 a graduation requirement, it made a similar provision. About 18 percent of Florida's graduates last year had used that option, taking algebra over two years instead of one.

"Did students who needed two years to pass an algebra course decide that going into a math or STEM career was a good choice for them based off of that academic experience? I have a hard time believing that they did," said Terry Barchfeld, the physics teacher at Timber Creek.

Barchfeld said he supports more science education — even four credits up from the current three — but calls the state's approach is "flawed."

"Where are the resources for these classes coming from?" he said, in an email interview. "Where are the teachers coming from for these classes? … You can't just repurpose teachers."

The requirements for new end-of-course exams in specific subjects — algebra 1, biology and geometry — have more widespread support. Many agree course-specific tests, given at the end of each class, make more sense than the general Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. The new exams would replace the high school math and science sections of the FCAT.

Still, some fear requiring students to pass the new tests to get course credit and to graduate could add to the woes of struggling teenagers. Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, raised that issue during House debates on the bill, saying higher standards were "pushing a lot of our at-risk students out of our high schools."

And Chancellor Frances Haithcock of the education department warned lawmakers that students would struggle initially on the new tests. "You are going to see some low scores," she said.